Foundations of Psychology Psychological Science & Research Methods

What are the five characteristics of science?

1. Non-dogmatic: open to new ideas or beliefs

2. Skeptical: beliefs are withheld until there is good evidence

3. Empirical: based on observation, experience, or experimentation

4. Cumulative: increased by successive additions

5. Falsifiable: can be proven false or rejected by observation or experimentation

What is the scientific method?

A self-correcting process for asking questions and observing nature’s answers

What are the steps of the scientific method?

1. Get ideas

2. Create hypothesis

3. Choose a research design

4. Choose subjects and measures

5. Analyze data

6. Report results

7. Replicate

What is a descriptive study?

A study that observes and measures without manipulation

What are three types of descriptive studies?

1. Naturalistic observation: observing and recording the behavior of individuals within their natural environments

2. Case studies: in-depth study of a single individual or group of individuals

3. Self-report methodology: interviews (structured or unstructured) and questionnaires and surveys

What information did the Phineas Gage case study reveal?

The frontal lobe is important for impulse control as well as language and motor skills. After the accident, taking his frontal lobe, Gage had significant personality changes, less temperment, and was overall less capable of daily functioning.

What information did the Andrea Yates case study reveal?

Psychological disorders, such as postpartum depression, can significantly impact a person’s decision-making process. It caused Yates to kill all five of her children due to a psychotic episode (hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking).

She was protected by the insanity clause, claiming that she couldn’t differentiate right from wrong due to a psychological disorder.

What is correlational research?

Research attempting to find an association between two variables

What is the correlation coefficient (r)?

The statistical measure of the relationship between two variables

What is an operational definition?

A specification of how a variable will be manipulated or measured using concrete, observable procedures, allowing for clarity, consistency, and replication.